Postecoglou eyes Germany scalp

Ange Postecoglou says he is looking forward to leading his Australia side into battle against Germany at the 2017 Confederations Cup.

The draw for next summer’s tournament in Russia was made on Sunday morning and the Socceroos have been placed in Group B alongside Die Mannschaft, Chile and the eventual champions of next year’s Africa Cup of Nations.

Since winning the 2014 World Cup, the Germans have gone through somewhat of a period of transition, with stalwarts Philipp Lahm, Per Mertesacker and Miroslav Klose all retiring.

Postecoglou is still expecting a massive test though, and is hopeful his side will be able to rise to the challenge of playing one of the best teams in the world at a major tournament.

He said: “Always a major player in major tournaments and I’ve no doubt this will be the same. They are sort of regenerating their team a little but they’ve started World Cup qualification strongly.

“We played them recently in a friendly but to play them in a major tournament is an exciting prospect. And our continued growth as a nation will only come when we play against the very best.”